A Miserable, Awkward Wreck
by Rei-the-Rat
Summary: Moved to ao3. This account is no longer active.


_~ Written for the One Piece Reverse Bang event, and inspired by the lovely idea and art by mathemayjicks on tumblr._

 _This was something of a new experience for me and I'm glad I got the chance go through with it. I don't have a lot of brotps, Luffy and Sanji kind of, but it's not something I write a lot about. But this helped be discover the bonding and relationship Law and Zoro could have. And I really do think they'd be great friends._

 _Special thanks to Uchiha Xairylle for helping me name MBF and S3. And again to mathemayjicks for helping me find a title. If you get the chance, I highly recommend looking up the art for the fic, it's super cute ~_

* * *

The rip in the main sail was causing its collapse and storage to malfunction. Law and three others went out to manually pull the sail down so it could slip into its storage unhindered. The storm across the stretch of sea they were in was horrid, ripping winds and piercing rain struck at them every second. As soon as the sail was in place, Law ordered his crew back below deck so Bepo and Shachi could send them under. He was on his way as well when a wave rose over the railings and splashed upon the deck, slapping him in the face with gallons of salt water.

Jean Bart's large hand grabbed and hauled him inside, slamming the door shut with a lock and shouting for Bepo to send them under.

Hacking up the salt water that had gone down his nose and mouth, Law braced himself against the wall until the bout of dizziness passed.

"You ok?"

He looked to see Zoro standing in the dim hallway, arms crossed and observing him with his one eye. "I'm fine..." Law waved off his concern. "Just salt water and-"

"And you're a devil fruit user." Zoro finished. "At least you're more aware than Luffy is most of the time." He grumbled the last bit to himself mostly.

Law nodded. "We'll be under for a few days. It might take you some getting used to, but it'll maximize are speed and safety."

Zoro shrugged. "Fine by me."

Law straightened slowly, testing his balance. He could feel the change in pressure as the Polar Tang sank further beneath the waves. "I'll be heading to bed then. Good night, Roronoa."

* * *

It was lunch time, and Law hadn't left his room. Zoro only found out when he entered the galley to find Ruby and her masked twin, Jason, arguing with Penguin and Shachi.

"What do you mean he didn't show up for breakfast?" The solitary woman of the Heart Pirates growled. "Why didn't you check up on him then?"

Jason turned toward Zoro as he neared. He nodded once to him before tugging on Ruby's elbow. She reluctantly turned away from the pair she was berating, who took the chance to escape, and noticed Zoro. "Oh, finally!" She clapped him on the shoulder. "Someone I can trust to get stuff done."

"Hm?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. Not that he wasn't someone that could be trusted to get something done, he just wanted to know what he was being volunteered for before he actually agreed.

"No one's seen Captain since last night after we went under."

"Probably just resting." He brushed off her worry much like he would've Nami's. And like Nami, Ruby didn't rest with such simple answers.

"You could go check on him." She prompted, following him around the kitchen.

"So could you." Zoro countered. Her insistent behavior was unnerving him.

"But something could be wrong. He could be sick, or injured, or-"

"Just tired." Her twin huffed from behind his mask. She shot a glare at him over her shoulder.

"All the more reason you should send your doctor to go check on him." The swordsman tried to reason again, forgetting that Law was this crew's doctor. He really just wanted breakfast or lunch and to lay back down in his borrowed cot. A disturbing silence fell over the twins, and when Zoro glanced back up, Ruby had tears in the corners of her eyes. With a frustrated groan, Zoro relented. "Ok, I'll go."

Ruby's face lit up, and Zoro found himself being yanked down so she could hug him. The force and speed of the action left him feeling like only his shoulders had been caught under a stampede. She released him just as fast and practically skipped out of the galley, curls bouncing with every step.

Her twin patted him gently on the shoulder. "Sorry, she's just really concerned."

"I get that." Zoro straightened. "I still don't see why you don't send one of your own though."

Jason made his way over to a cabinet and pulled a bottle of sake from inside. "Well, simply put, I suppose none of us can bear the idea of our captain being down like that."

"What?"

"Unrealistic, I know." Jason laughed, sharp and mocking. "But he takes such good care of us. He's the only doctor on board and the strongest fighter." His fingers twitched around the neck of the bottle, nervous, agitated with himself. "Except for Bepo, and Jean Bart now," He paused mid-sentence, trying to find his thoughts again. "They're the two who take care of captain if he can't. Or they take care of the crew while he's making sure he's ok. But Bepo's trying to keep us on the right path and Jean doesn't know much about healing the sick." Jason offered the sake bottle to Zoro.

"You sure he's sick?" Zoro took the peace offering. He'd seen Law when he came in last night. Aside from looking a little winded and exhausted, the surgeon didn't appear sick. Then again, Zoro wouldn't know what to look for if he was.

"Captain doesn't get sick." Jason mumbled from behind his mask. This was said with an iron wall defensive tone in the masked man's voice. "He becomes a miserable wreck and locks himself in his room."

"Oh, that's helpful." Zoro scowled at no one in particular. "Luffy's never gotten sick either. Just really injured. I guess I understand where you guys are coming from." He uncorked the bottle. "But if he is, I need to call Chopper. I don't know anything about medicine."

Jason nodded. "I'll ask Shachi to connect a line to Straw Hat. That's where your doctor is, right?"

"Yeah." Zoro nodded. He gave Jason one last nod before making his way down to where Law had indicated his quarters were a few days before. 'If he really is sick and we call Chopper, Luffy's going to hear about it too.' The swordsman took a long drink from the sake bottle. He already knew his captain was going to be more than overbearing about Law's condition, even if it was across a transponder snail connection. He felt a little bad. The last the thing the Heart captain needed was a massive headache on top of anything else that may be wrong with him.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Zoro wasn't in front of Law's door, but somehow in what appeared to be a boiler room. He huffed and looked about trying to figure out how Law's room and this one had switched around. Though, if he was being honest, he had never actually been to Law's room, just told more or less what direction it was in. So it was plausible he had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Which was fine. All he had to do was turn around and go back the way he came.

With a nod of his new plan, Zoro set off farther into the boiler room. It was strange how he could almost he hear Chopper yelling at him that he was going the wrong way. He ducked under a few pipes and came to the center of the room where the boiler itself steamed away. Zoro looked at the large hot metal monster of a contraption before him. He didn't really know anything about how the submarine ran, but with all the pipes and the size of the boiler, he assumed it was the boiler anyway, this was probably an important piece of equipment.

Not sure of where to go from here, and not wanting to possibly mess up anything to do with boiler, Zoro turned to his left, the right was filled with a thick web of sturdy pipes knitted closely together, and carried on until he found a door. The hall outside was cool compared to steam that hung in the boiler room like a rolling fog. Zoro hadn't even noticed until he left. He looked over his shoulder one last time. When he thought of a boiler room, he imagined something more like the Rocket Man sea train. The pipes made gurgling noises, something rattled in the distance, the heat was always unbearable, the whole system on the verge of collapse every second but still managed to hold out for years…

But now that Zoro thought about it, the Polar Tang ran smoothly, quietly, a reflection of her Captain's demeanor. Much like the Thousand Sunny as well. Something went wrong on board, it was a scramble and really, only Usopp and Franky knew what how to fix it. He snorted to himself as he continued down the hall. Law and Luffy really were opposites. But they worked together so well. As long as Law didn't plan on betraying Luffy, and after Dressrosa Zoro knew he wouldn't, there was nothing to worry about.

"Zoro!" The swordsman turned at the sound of Jason's voice. The masked man was holding a sleeping snail in one hand as he came down the hall. "Where have you been? I went by Captain's room, but you weren't there."

Zoro scratched the back of his hand sheepishly. "Guess I took the wrong turn or something. He told me it was down that one hall but," He sighed as Jason nodded.

"It's fine. It's easy to lose your way on the sub. It still happens to some us."

Zoro frowned at the accusation of getting lost but Jason seemed understanding rather than condescending. "You check up on Law while you were there?" He followed Jason back the way he had come. "And is there any chance I can get another one of these?" He held up the sake bottle he still had.

The Heart pirate laughed. "I'll see what I can do. Ah, about Captain," He sighed. "I poked my head in but he was covered by a lot of blankets. And he didn't respond so…"

Zoro grumbled. "Yeah, it's ok. I'll see how he is." He drained the last of bottle. "That snail going to be able to call Luffy?"

"Yeah, I'll call in a few moments once we get to the Captain's room."

* * *

The transponder snail rang steadily on the table where Zoro had set it down. He frowned at the pile of blankets on Law's bed unsure of how to go about waking the man up. With a shrug, Zoro grasped the covers and pulled them off. Three quilts and four blankets fell to the floor revealing Law wrapped up in a thin sheet.

His face was flushed, but he was breathing steadily. Zoro laid the back of his hand against Law's cheek and hissed under his breath. He was too hot, even Zoro could tell that. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Now what should he do?

The click of the snail connecting was a welcomed sound. Chopper would be able to instruct him through this. He turned to the snail assuming Nami had answered, she normally was one in charge of snail calls, but was blasted with the sound of his over eager captain.

"THIS MONKEY D. LUFFY, FUTURE KING OF THE PIRATES! TORAO~ WHY ARE YOU CALLING?! DO YOU MISS ME!? DID ZORO GET LOST?!"

He rushed forward to clamp a hand over the snail's mouth and grab the receiver. "Luffy, shut up! Where's Chopper!?" He glanced behind him at the doctor stirring on the bed. Law open his eyes and glared at Zoro.

"Oh hi, Zoro!" Luffy responded, not quite as loud as he been a moment ago. "Chopper's right here. Are you lost? Shishishi~ The sub's kind of big, huh?"

"I'm not lost!" Zoro snapped back. He received a sharp kick in the back of his knee. Cursing under his breath, Zoro turned to Law who was now sitting up in his bed and holding his head. He nudged Law over and sat beside him with the snail in his hand so Law could use the receiver.

"Straw Hat, let me talk to Tony. I need his assistance with something." Law voice was quiet and tired; Zoro could pick up the faint scratch in his throat.

"Sure, is everything ok?"

There was some shuffling on the other end and the sound of wood scraping across the floor as a chair was moved for the small doctor to stand on before Chopper's voice spoke. "Torao?"

"Tony, I need you to assist Zoro or someone else with making S3. Do you know how?"

"Sure… But couldn't you do it?" Chopper sounded a little worried. Law smiled to himself. The small doctor was very compassionate and became immediately concerned when someone was injured.

"Unfortunately no. I'm the one who needs it."

Zoro's instinct, so used to the over-the-top reactions that could come from Chopper and Luffy if it was mentioned that was someone was injured or sick, kicked in, and he clapped his hand over the snail's mouth just as the pair miles away on the Sunny cried out in alarm. He took the receiver back from Law and stood so he could take the snail out of the room.

A shaky sigh of relief left Law. He was glad Zoro was calmer than his captain. Not that Law didn't appreciate Luffy and everything he did, but he didn't need him screaming in his ear. Even through his door he could hear the loud captain and Chopper wailing and asking if Law was alright. There was some crashing and a female voice, probably Nami, before it quieted down and Zoro came back in. The snail had was crying gently and had a bump on one of its eyes stalks reflecting injury of one of the speaker's on the other end.

"Sorry Torao," Luffy and Chopper sniffled together.

Law held out his hand for the snail. "Stra- Luffy," He held the snail close as leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "Let me speak with Tony for a bit."

"Kay…" There was some grumbling before the snail's face morphed, the bump leaving its eye and the eyes themselves becoming rounder and more child-like.

"Torao? Are you ok?" Chopper asked. There was a steadiness in his voice now.

"I've been better." Law sighed. "I have the necessary ingredients to make S3 stored in the infirmary."

"Even still, it'll take a day." Chopper hummed in thought. "I'm telling Zoro how to do this?"

"Probably." Law looked up at the swordsman who was listening with furrowed eyebrows.

"Well, I don't think it's wise to give you it via shot then. But I know a way to make it so you can drink it instead."

Law grimaced at the idea of drinking S3. But it had to be injected into a small, hard to find vein along his wrist, something even the most skilled doctors had trouble with; it would be too much of a risk to ask Zoro to try. Law held up a hand slowly, tremors rocked down from his elbows into his fingers. He was useless like this. "You're right."

"Zoro?"

"Yeah, Chopper?"

"I need you to do some things for Law while I go find the right book ok? It'll take about twenty hours to make this medicine, but in the meantime, you give him something to lessen the symptoms."

* * *

After some double checking, written instructions, and more reassurance that Zoro knew where he was going and what he was doing, the swordsman left Law's room to collect the items he needed while Chopper went off to the library for some books. He left the transponder snail with Law so Luffy could talk to his ally.

When he came back Law was… looking better. Even if only mildly. He sat up in his bed with a blanket wrapped snugly around him and leaned against his headboard so he could cradle the smiling snail in his hand. Luffy's happy babble about a sea made of maple syrup and chocolate army ants pulled Law away from his own worries, allowing him to relax for a moment. Zoro grinned knowingly as he set the pitcher of water and glass down on the table. Law gave him a glare that didn't hold its normal heat, either do to his illness or maybe Law wasn't in such a foul mood as he wanted Zoro to believe.

Zoro could hardly care. Hearing Luffy's voice eased him as well. They were close to Sanji now, and in no time at all would have the blonde cook back and be headed for Wano to meet up with everyone. All he needed to worry about was making sure Law got better. How hard would it be to follow Chopper's instructions?

"I don't get sick." Luffy was saying.

"So I've heard." Law sighed.

"It's ok Torao. Just get better, Zoro will be there to help protect you and your crew since I'm not."

Law scoffed. "Obviously… How did I ever managed without you?"

Ignoring the obvious sarcasm, Luffy laughed. "No idea, but you're better now, right?"

Zoro made his way over to the bed. "Luffy, let me talk to Chopper. I don't know what the pain medicine he was talking about looks like."

"It's in the blue jar on the third shelf." Law pointed back to his cabinet.

Oh yeah, Zoro frowned as he made his way over. Law was a doctor, he knew what all these medicines did and looked like. He also probably labeled most of them himself. It was strange to think he was taking care of a doctor. He had changed Chopper's bandages before, but that wasn't the same.

"Straw Hat, fetch Tony anyway. He needs to walk Zoro through the steps." Law stifled a yawn. "And I should get some rest." He mumbled as he placed the transponder snail on his bedside table. His face was flushed again, and his eyes were beginning to droop.

Zoro gave him the medicine and waited until he swallowed it down before taking the glass from him. Law's skin was warm. He may have been feeling better for the moment, but he was still fatigued and feverish.

"Good night, Torao." Luffy said, his voice softer than it had been since they called.

"Night, Luffy." Law closed his eyes.

Picking up the snail as he walked by, Zoro left Law's room quietly and headed to the galley where he could work under Chopper's guidance and not wake Law. "Hey, Chopper?"

"I'm here Zoro."

"Is this going to work? You can't test what's wrong with him."

"Law did that himself when he felt he was getting sick. He told me he swallowed a lot of sea water earlier."

"Oh, yeah. When he went to go fix the sail. But it's because he has devil fruit powers, right?" On a table in the galley were two jars and a sealed pouch along with a bowl and small pot to boil the mixture in. Zoro gave the set up a stern look as he would've any challenging opponent or obstacle.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Zoro could hear the flutter of pages as Chopper flipped through a book.

"What do you mean? It was sea water, and he has a devil fruit. That happens."

"Oh… well, yes, but it shouldn't be this severe. Think about how sick Luffy would always be then."

"Luffy doesn't get sick." Zoro muttered, though he knew Chopper was right. He propped his three swords beside the table and sat down with the snail sitting a safe distance away from the work area but still within reach.

"Law swallowed a bacteria that thrives in cold sea water. It's not that common because of how deep it spawns in the ocean. To someone without devil fruit powers it would appear to be the common cold and be gone in a few days with minor irritation to the throat. But to someone who has a devil fruit ability and is cursed by the sea, it's much worse. It's like having the sea inside your body. Normally, when a user is submerged in water, we become weak and lethargic. It's not a very pleasant feeling. This bacteria makes them feel like that but from the inside out. It attacks the lungs, and eventually the victim will feel like they're breathing sea water."

Zoro listened to Chopper's explanation, wrinkling his nose a bit. He couldn't say he understood because he didn't. He had no idea what it must feel like. "But this stuff we're making will make him better?"

"Yup." Chopper sounded a bit happier. "And we caught earlier, plus Law used all those blankets to force himself into a fever. That'll help the S3 attack the bacteria faster."

Zoro didn't understand some of it but Chopper seemed positive they could help. "Ok, then doctor, what do we do?" He smiled softly with the squeaking of Chopper's chair turning as the small reindeer wiggled and exclaimed that Zoro was a bastard and flattery would get him nowhere.

"Hey, Chopper!" Luffy interrupted. "How's Torao?"

Chopper coughed smartly. "He'll be fine. He has Mangled Bubble Fever."

Luffy laughed loudly until Chopper told him to be quiet. Zoro coughed back chortle as Chopper explained the severity of the fever to Luffy.

"Ew…" Luffy grumbled. "Poor Torao. Zoro~ Take care of him."

"I'm going to." He sighed.

"Right! So I'm going to tell you how to make Soothing Siren Serum, or S3. The way we're making it is a little different so Torao can drink it rather than getting a shot. It'll cook faster too, but it's going to taste horrible."

"When does medicine ever taste good?"

"It can…" Chopper mumbled. "Well, anyway, let's get started. I'll go over all the steps with you. If you have any questions ask. Even if it's something small. We need to get this right."

"Right."

* * *

Law was roused hours later, late into the night, by Zoro swearing under his breath and a grunt. He opened his eyes to see Zoro braced with one hand against the wall by his bed and the other wrapped firmly around the sheath of Kikoku. The swordsman was desperately trying to convince his hand to let go of the nodachi, or as Law knew, he was trying to convince Kikoku to let go of him. A small hum left his throat, loud enough to catch Zoro's attention and like a taunt wire cut loose, Zoro jerked back leaving the cursed blade resting against the wall by Law.

Grey eyes blinked tiredly at Zoro until the man looked up at him. He reached out to curl a finger around the red rope on Kikoku's sheathe. "You ok, Roronoa?"

"She wanted to be near you." Zoro huffed. He rubbed lightly at his shoulder. "She's really possessive."

"You could've asked Bepo. She likes him." Law's eyes gently slid close. "Thanks…" The cursed blade sang to him sweetly through contact, and he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

"You!"

Zoro sighed. He was starting dread the sound of Ruby's voice. It was normally followed with a teary pout or stern demand. Why did all the women he ended up near have that trait? Perona, Nami, even Robin, though with her it was more of a silent threat than whining demand. He turned to her with bored expression. "What is it Ruby?"

"You said you would watch him." She huffed with hands placed firmly on her hips.

"No." He hadn't. Where was Jason? "I said I would go check on him yesterday, and I did."

"But he's still sick." She began to chew on her bottom lip. "And he tried to go see Bepo."

"So? Bepo's the navigator, right? He was probably just checking the course. He is your captain, that's his-" Zoro was cut off by her glare.

"He is still sick." She looked as though she was fighting down the urge to stomp her foot to get her point across. "You go back there and watch him until he's feeling better."

"Now wait a minute-"

"I have Shachi and Jason watching your soup pot. We'll call you when it's done." She pushed against him. "Go make sure he doesn't try to go nowhere."

"It's not a soup pot." It had some other name that he couldn't remember at the moment. "It has your captain's medicine in it." He wasn't backing up despite her best efforts

"I know that." She huffed. She seemed to have given up for the moment until she moved by him a bit with her hand on the collar of his shirt and proceeded to pull him down the hall. Zoro stumbled a bit with the sudden change in force before begrudgingly following her.

* * *

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-one."

Law blinked his eyes open slowly.

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-two."

He had gone to see Bepo out of habit when he was feeling under the weather. It was comforting to be near his friend. Bepo couldn't always make it to him, especially when their course had to be watched so closely, so he made his wave down the halls to sit with him for a while.

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-three."

He didn't remember coming back to his room. Had he fallen asleep? Damn, he shouldn't have done that to Bepo. He'd apologize later.

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-four."

"What are you counting Roronoa?" Law rasped.

There was a pause.

"How are you feeling?" A breath was released and the counting continued. "One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-five."

"Still feverish. Not so dizzy though." Law turned his head to the side toward Kikoku. "What are you doing?" He tried again.

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-six." Zoro grunted. "That gunk you're supposed to drink is almost done. Smells awful and looks like-"

"I know." Law interrupted. S3 wasn't pleasant regardless of its form. It used to bother him when he was younger that such a thick gooey substance was being injected into one of the smallest veins on the body. "You're not answering my question."

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven."

Law gave up. He didn't have the energy to deal with Zoro's stubbornness.

"One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight… One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine… Two thou-AAAGHH!"

Law sat up quickly toward the door and almost fell out of bed as the room shook and spun in his vision. He held his head and glared down at Zoro simply so he could direct his displeasure at someone even if it wasn't necessarily his fault. Zoro rolled away from the now opened door, clutching his side that had been on the receiving end of the assault.

A slightly shocked and out of breath Penguin stood at the door looking back and forth between his captain and Zoro. "Ah… um… Roronoa you ok?" He started with the younger man since he was closer and the pain was possibly his fault.

"Yeah, fine." Zoro grunted. "What is it?" He moved straight from lying on the floor to standing beside Penguin.

"The pot stopped boiling, but Jason is still stirring it like you asked." Penguin was bouncing on the balls of feet like a small child before a candy store. His gaze kept shifting back to Law.

"Oh, yeah, ok." He looked over his shoulder at Law. "Good thing you're awake now." Zoro grabbed his shirt from the back of the lone chair in Law's room. "Stay here and keep an eye on him. Don't want Ruby chewing my ear off again for leaving him alone." He scoffed. "Um, there's pain medicine in the drawer if he needs it." With a pat on Penguin's shoulder, Zoro left the room.

Penguin watched Zoro go down the hall, relieved when he didn't have to tell him to turn the other way, before he made his way over to Law. Based on how Law was still hunched over and holding his head, Penguin guessed he was in some pain even if he didn't say so. "Here," He pressed two of the green tablets into Law's hand and gave him a glass of water. It was silent between them for a moment while Law swallowed down the medicine. "Sorry…" Penguin finally mumbled. He sat down on the edge of the bed a little between his captain and the headboard and hugged him from behind around the shoulders. "We're a mess without you."

Law snorted. "You managed a few months without me."

"We knew you were ok."

He frowned. That couldn't be completely true. How many times had he nearly died back in Dressrosa? Surely, his vivre card reflected that. Unless Bepo kept it hidden…

"You're not contagious, right?"

The question broke Law from his depressing musings with soft laughter. "Now you ask?" He elbowed his friend in the ribs. Penguin hopped off the bed with a mock pout. "Do you think you can convince Shachi to make me tea?" Law laid back against his pillows.

"Hm, he won't be happy about it… But he owes me a favor." Penguin laughed. "And he owes you a whole bunch."

* * *

Law managed to cough down the S3 with the help of Shachi's tea and a bowl of plain rice. He spent almost an hour on his side covering his mouth and breathing deeply through his nose to hold back the urge to wretch the horrible medicine out of his stomach. When he rolled back on to his back he noticed Zoro sitting against the wall by the door with closed eyes and folded arms.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Ruby." The swordsman replied simply. "How are you feeling?"

"Better… I guess." Law forced himself to continue to take deep slow breaths. "It's working."

"That's good. I'll call Chopper later and let him know."

"Thank you."

"Hm?" Zoro frowned. "For what? Chopper would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't update him."

"For helping. You didn't have to."

"I know a few people who would argue otherwise." Zoro stood. "Luffy says your nakama and that means we take care of each other. You would've done the same right?"

Law wanted to argue that he was a doctor and obligated to help someone in need but that wasn't really true. He didn't necessarily hold to Chopper's compassion of helping everyone. And as he thought about it, he realized it wasn't just him. His crew would do anything to help the Straw Hats too, if they were injured or needed help. He smiled slightly. "Yeah…"

He looked over to the Straw Hat's swordsman. Zoro had saw fit to ditch his shirt again. The sub got hot very easily; Law didn't blame him. He noticed, not for the first time, the fierce looking scar running diagonally down Zoro's chest. "Did Tony do that?" He asked curiously. "The stitching, not the wound. I wouldn't assume Tony the type to attack one of his own so viciously." Law clarified at Zoro's raised eyebrow.

"Oh." Zoro pulled up the chair so he was sitting closer to the bed. "Nah," He rubbed at the top of the scar almost fondly, his mouth twisted not in a frown but an odd sort of contemplative line. "That old doc in Nami's village sewed me up after the deal with the fishman."

"A fishman did that?" Law's brows furrowed slightly.

"Ah…" Zoro paused, realizing his words had been misleading. He wasn't as good as Usopp at retelling stories. He never really boasted about them, except to Luffy and only when he asked how the fight went. "No. Though, the fight with them reopened it." He couldn't help the grin at the disapproving look Law was giving him. It was the same one he got from Chopper all the time. But it was more menacing on Law than it was Chopper's fluffy, or it would've been if his face wasn't so flushed and his eyes glassy. "I got this the first time I challenge Dracule Mihawk."

Law nodded silently with understanding.

"You were a Warlord for a time. Did you ever meet him?"

"No. I stayed away from the meetings to avoid unnecessary confrontation with Doflamingo. And as I understand it, he didn't show often anyway." Zoro hummed in thought. That was true. Mihawk rarely left the island when he was there. "I know who he is though, his fame and reputation." Law traced over the scar again with his eyes. "You're lucky to be alive then."

"Yeah…" Zoro muttered. "I know. Or, I know better now." His hands clenched, wanting to grip Wado out of habit. "But I won't let it stop me. I'll still become the greatest swordsman so that my name rings up to the heavens."

The sick doctor watched Zoro with concern. He recognized the tone of voice, the conviction in his words, a purpose for living… "Zoro," He laid his hand gently on the still clenched fist.

The young man let out deep sigh. "Sorry."

"It's ok. I understand." Law left his hand against Zoro's for a moment longer before letting it slide off. "You and Straw Hat are lucky to have been around skilled doctors during time of injury and recovery, even before you met Tony."

"It was mostly me. Luffy got banged up plenty but so did Usopp and… and the cook." Zoro frowned at some past memory. "We already had Chopper on board the first time he was really injured in the Grand Line."

Law hummed. Something about this information was poking at his brain. "Who took care of you before then?" As he knew it, Chopper was from Drum Island toward the beginning of the Grand Line, and the Straw Hats started in the East Blue.

"Nami mostly. Usopp knew basic first aid, but she had more knowledge than the rest of us."

"You entered the Grand Line without a proper doctor or someone who had medical experience." Not a question, Law wasn't really that shocked. But he needed confirmation.

"Are you kidding? Luffy wanted to head into Grand Line right after we got our navigator. Never mind a doctor, when he said that we didn't have a proper ship or even the cook."

Law rubbed his forehead. "Oh good grief… How-?" He stopped himself. "He's miraculous in a way that only he can manage." He decided.

"I have never heard it summarized better myself." Zoro laughed.

* * *

S3 was beginning to play hell's symphony on Law's chest. Mainly his lungs around his lungs where the bacteria was worse. He assured Zoro he'd be fine while the man went to grab lunch. If he was still in the shower when Zoro came back, then he could check on him. He also asked Zoro to relay a message to Penguin to fetch him some pillows. He needed to be elevated to help his ease his breathing.

The shower was scalding hot on his skin. He felt grimy from the sweat and fever, so he just let the hot water cascade over him pleasantly. The dizziness wasn't so bad that he had to sit down in the shower, but he was leaning on the wall for support. His chest throbbed occasionally making it difficult to breathe when the sharp lurch of S3 made itself known. But this way, he knew it was working.

Law had never taken so long drying off after a shower before. He had half a mind to go lay back down in bed naked, but as he had company, that would be rude. Throwing on whatever clothes his hands landed on first, the Heart Captain made his way back to his bed where he found more pillows than he thought they had on the Polar.

"You look better."

Law turned at the sound of Zoro's voice in his door. "I am. The shower helped." Feeling clean did him a world of good. He noticed someone had also changed his linens and blankets. He ran his hand fondly over the worn blanket that was normally on Bepo's bed. There were holes down one side and the corner was frayed. The first time the Mink had tried to help with laundry, he hadn't been very mindful of his claws. That was almost ten years ago. Law smiled as he pulled the blanket up and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Shachi said Chopper called and wanted us to call back as soon as possible." Zoro lifted the snail in his hand to show Law. "And he's grumbling about tea." The last comment came out a little confused and unsure.

"But is he making it?" Law asked as Zoro sat down on the end of his bed.

"Yeah. What's the big deal with this tea?" He remembered earlier Penguin fussing and convincing Shachi to make it.

"It's tedious and time consuming. But it's worth it."

"He's the only one who knows how to make it?"

"Yeah, family secret or something." Law finally took the last step to his bed and half collapsed on to it. Zoro was in the way of him stretching out his legs. He didn't have the strength to kick the man off his bed, so he draped his legs across Zoro's lap and relaxed back into his pillows.

Zoro scowled at Law but did nothing to move the man. He had already dialed the Sunny and was just waiting for them to pick up. He gave the snail to Law and leaned back while the call connected.

"Is that Torao!?"

"Luffy, shush, he might be resting!" Chopper scolded though he was just as loud.

"I'm awake Tony." Law answered. The snail's face visibly brightened at this news.

"That's wonderful!" There was cheering from the other line. "Has the S3 passed through your system yet?"

"The worst of it is over." The ache around his lungs had moved on and was dissipating throughout the rest of his body.

"You'll still have frequent headaches but rest and some medicine can help with that." Law stopped himself from informing Chopper he knew all of this. The young doctor was just doing his job by informing Law of the details. And he appreciated it. "Have you been eating?" Chopper asked next.

"You should eat meat! That always makes me feel better." Luffy chimed in.

"Of course it does." Law sighed but was smiling. Beside him Zoro was gently rolling his eyes. "I had something for breakfast and Shachi is making me a heavy tea. That'll hold me until dinner and hopefully I feel like eating."

"Torao, tea is not supposed to be heavy." Luffy sounded every bit as confused as Zoro looked.

"It's a special tea, Straw Hat."

"Oooh. I want some." Luffy laughed.

"Not likely to happen." Zoro muttered thinking back to Shachi huffing and complaining about making it.

"Maybe." Law said instead.

There was a sudden yawn from Chopper. "Sorry… I think I'm going to take a nap since you're doing ok."

Law's eyes widened slightly at the thought of Chopper staying up much like he would and always did when he was looking over someone in recovery. He clicked his tongue in annoyance with himself. "Of course. I'll be fine Tony."

Luffy chuckled. "Hang on, I'm going to take him to Nami. Don't hang up."

"Alright." Law closed his eyes for while he waited. Zoro's legs shuffled under his own occasionally.

There was a light knock and the door swung open revealing Shachi holding two mugs. "Captain?"

Zoro had gotten used to seeing the Heart Pirates out of their uniformed boiler suit-like attire. He still took a moment to look over Shachi and recognize that this was the man under the large hat and heavy suit. Shachi's shirt was skin tight and long sleeved, tucked into his pants with the sleeves rolled up. He didn't have his hat on, and his sunglasses were perched on the end of his nose. The heavy work boots were untied with the laces slipped neatly between the loose crossings and tongue of the boot. And he was looking every bit the unappreciated house wife he wasn't.

"You get sick, and I end up spoiling the whole crew." He groused, handing them each a mug.

"Did you make it while I was gone?" Law asked, accepting the mug happily. He inhaled the minty scent that wafted up from the hot beverage.

"No."

"So it's been about two years."

Zoro raised his eyebrow. Law seemed to really like this tea, and that was quite some time to go without something as simple as tea. The tea was dark green and frothy. He had never associated tea with being frothy before, but it wasn't something he'd ever really spent the time thinking about.

"It'll be another two years if I have to make it again today." Shachi took a moment to look at Zoro and Law's leg arrangement but didn't comment. "You alright?"

When Law didn't answer, Zoro glanced up and saw Shachi was looking at him. Oh… "Um, yeah," He coughed. "I'm good. Thanks." Shachi nodded and turned to leave. "Wait." Zoro called.

"Hm?"

"I don't get it. Yesterday, you all were acting like you couldn't fathom the idea of Law being sick but now that he's recovering, everything's ok?" Zoro frowned and secretly hoped Law really didn't get sick all that often.

Shachi looked to his captain who didn't say anything or make any indication that he was going to answer for him. He watched to floor for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, by the way." He waved and continued out of the room.

Zoro huffed. "That makes no sense. You're crew is dysfunctional."

Law snorted. "My crew is dysfunctional? Who is your captain again?"

Conceding to his point but not vocalizing it, Zoro bumped his knee up into Law's. "Shut up."

They drank their tea in silence while waiting for Luffy. It was indeed a heavy tea and forced one to drink it slowly. It sort of reminded Zoro of drinking melted chocolate, except minty and tea, and Zoro didn't even like sweets so he wasn't sure where the analogy came from.

"You're not contagious, right?" He took another long drink.

"Do you really think I would let you all in and out of my room if I was?"

Before Zoro could answer, the thumping of sandals sounded from the snail followed by Luffy's laughter. "I'm back guys!"

"How are things on your end?" Zoro asked.

"We're ok. Should be reaching the meet up point some time tomorrow." Luffy hummed in thought. "Is Zoro taking care of you Torao?"

How many times was he going to get asked if he was ok in various forms? Law sighed. "Yes. He makes for a very good foot rest."

"That's gre- Hey! No fair, Zoro. You never let me do that. I'm your captain." The whine in Luffy's voice was evident.

"I'm not letting him." Zoro growled back. Law's wiggled his feet a bit in a childish manner. "His feet aren't on me. Just his stupid bony shins."

Laughter erupted on the other end, and Law chuckled into his tea. It turned out Zoro was capable of blushing. He just had to be in a ridiculous situation with Luffy involved.

"Don't go getting so chummy with Torao now." Luffy said as his laughter died down. Law and Zoro shared a look of confusion. That was an odd request coming from Luffy. "You'll make Sanji jealous."

Zoro sputtered. "Shut up! I could care less!"

Law had to place his mug on his bed side table to keep from dropping it as he smothered his face against the blanket. His shoulders shook hard with laughter, he feared he may start a coughing fit. Zoro and Luffy bickered amongst themselves while he calmed down. "Luffy?"

"Yeah? You sound happy Torao."

"Hm, maybe." He reached out to curl Kikoku's braided rope around his finger.

"I think Torao needs to rest." Zoro said, sounding a lot like a father telling two children play time was over. He shoved Law's legs over so he could get up and barely felt the kick against his thigh that may or may not have been intentional as Law shuffled to get his legs under the blankets. "Night Law." He got a hum in return as he turned off the light and left the room. "He'll be fine. He's just a miserable, awkward wreck when he's sick."

"Not nice Zoro." Luffy chuckled. "Thank you. Probably was really boring doing all that doctor stuff."

"A little. Don't tell Chopper I said that though."

"Shishishi, ok. Call in the morning?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Law hand ran absently through soft fur. He mumbled and cracked open an eye. Bepo sat on the floor bedside his bed, head resting against the edge. His hand found its way to his friend's furry head in his sleep. Zoro and Penguin were chatting in the open door way allowing some light to come in. Shachi was standing behind Penguin looking miffed. Occasionally, other crew members would stop by the door and peer in. He didn't know how long he laid there, one eye half open watching his crew discreetly try to check on him while Zoro laughed and joked with Penguin and Shachi out in the hall. He began counting each of them, remembering which ones made return trips, until Jean Bart's shadow loomed in by the door way, and he peeked in himself.

"Bepo." The ex-captain called softly. He couldn't quite fit through Law's door. "Dinner's ready." He left as quietly as he'd came.

Law patted Bepo fondly. "Go eat." He whispered.

The Mink blinked slowly at him before shifting to stand. He pulled the blanket up around Law better before leaving him to get back to sleep.

* * *

"She wants to fight." Zoro muttered from the floor sometime after dinner so quiet Law almost didn't hear him over the pounding in his head. He wasn't even sure if he was awake or asleep, or how long he'd been in either state.

He turned his head slowly toward where Kikoku was resting beside him. "How do you mean?" Law whispered, not wanting to raise his voice above what his own ears and headache could handle.

"I don't know..." Zoro frowned. His fingers glided across Kitetsu's hilt fondly. "I don't think they get along. It's quiet. No blood thirst, just silent desire to kill."

"You're saying our swords want to kill each other?" He wanted to scoff but that may cause his headache to worsen. He was more or less fine now, the fever gone from his system. Now he just had to recover from S3.

Zoro thought about it. That was what he said, wasn't it? But that's what he felt through Kitetsu and as he gazed Kikoku. "I think. She's noisy, but in the quiet way. He doesn't like it."

"She is not." He mumbled. "She just doesn't like you."

"I've gathered." Zoro remembered the shrill cries echoing in his head from simply laying his hand on the sheath of Kikoku.

"We'll let them fight it out later." Law said after sometime.

"And try not to get too injured ourselves in the process." Zoro said wryly. But the idea had him grinning. "And preferably when we have adequate room."

"It'll be a while then."

Zoro listened, thumb running over Kitestu's cross guard and watching Kikoku. "I think they'll wait." It was quieter now. He could almost hear singing behind the silence.

* * *

"Brook and Pedro went in to go get the tracing for Robin." Luffy was saying. "I thought I saw Sanji on the coast, but he's not there now."

"Tch, damn cook…" Zoro grumbled on reflex. "Whatever, just hurry up and get him." He walked off before Luffy could tease him again.

"Luffy?" Law sighed. "I know this is slightly pointless, but do try and be careful."

"Shishishi, worried?"

"Yes."

Luffy paused. "I'll be fine Torao. We'll be in Wano with you guys in no time."

"I know."

"Don't lose Zoro."

"I won't."

"And I'll be back with Sanji."

Law wondered if he could convince Luffy to grab Sanji and leave. To not get into a fight with one of the Four Emperors. He heard Zoro come back and sit beside him, his eyes focused on the snail in his hand. "Be safe." He said finally.

"I promise I'll keep everyone safe." He could hear Luffy's grin.

"Luffy, I meant-"

"Oh! We're docking. I have to go."

Law sighed with resignation. "Ok. Good luck Luffy. We'll see you soon."

"Kay~" There was a click and the call disconnected.

Zoro laid a hand on Law's shoulder. "Have some faith. He'll be ok."

"I know." Law stood, more steady than he had been in the past forty-eight hours. "We have our own battles to face."


End file.
